Organizations dedicated to the social acceptance of sex with children are not new, yet have had a large upstart in membership since the early 1970's. .
Because of the extreme sensitivity of the subject, research in this field is quite underdeveloped. Researchers have even had trouble in agreeing what to call the phenomenon. Much research on the victims has dubbed the act as child sexual abuse, most research on the offenders has labeled it as child molesting or pedophilia. The term pedophilia has some utility since it suggests a predisposition for the act separate from the act itself. The ambiguity of this term however, is what causes confusion. Pedophilia can mean child sexual abuse ranging from an arousal to children with no or little action, to sexual penetration of the child. For the purposes of this paper the terms pedophilia, child sexual abuse, and child molestation will be used interchangeably.
This paper will focus on the possible causes of child sexual abuse. It will examine several etiologies of pedophiles as suggested by researchers. To reduce this behavior in offenders, we must first attempt to gain an understanding of WHY? This question has no easy answer, and the researchers in this field have found very little to agree upon. There is however, common ground which may enable us to combine theories into a workable start to a solution of the "unspeakable crime". .
Pedophiles can be classified into different categories by several issues, the most common of which are causation, and victim-relationship. Using different classifications to isolate pedophiliac behavior can help us to understand this behavior and begin to find .
.
Pedophile classification is a hotly debated topic that varies significantly in its origins. There are a few standards however; pedophiles can be separated by those who sexually abuse members of there own family or step-families, and those who abuse non-family members (Mayer, 1983).
